Health and Human Services
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The state’s most populous county has launched a $30 million, voter-approved investment in child-care workers. Tech plays a central role in the process by enabling equitable cash distribution at scale. -
The launch of this new tool also comes with new responsibilities for the state’s technology workforce. The benefits program could help some 1.3 million state residents.
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The data tool and interface, which was built in-house to flag crime and misuse, has saved the state millions and ensures benefits go to those in need. Created with federal funding, it recently earned a governor’s award.
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When COVID-19 broke out nationwide, the avalanche of related health data overwhelmed the federal government's outdated data infrastructure. More needs to be done if the country is to be ready for the next health crisis.
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The Minnesota Department of Human Services reports the streamlined online application allows clients to complete the process in as little as 12 minutes, where the average time to fill out the existing form is an hour.
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The Miami-Dade Women's Fund, a nonprofit organization, launched a gender equity dashboard that highlights a recent increase in the pay gap between men and women in Miami-Dade County, Fla.
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A House panel on Tuesday grilled the Department of Veterans Affairs official responsible for a new health records system that has caused delayed care at Spokane's VA hospital and left employees exhausted and demoralized.
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Scientists have long known that ultraviolet light can kill pathogens on surfaces and in air and water. UV robots are used to disinfect empty hospital rooms, buses and trains; UV bulbs in HVAC systems eliminate pathogens in building air; and UV lamps kill bugs in drinking water.
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Earlier this month, UMass Memorial Health, a health-care system in Worchester, Mass., informed 209,048 patients that their private information may have been compromised due to an email-related data breach.
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Minnesota aims to have its simpler, more streamlined benefits application portal available statewide by the end of the year. The site’s deeper focus on user experience marks a growing trend for the state.
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The funding will be used to purchase telehealth equipment and software licenses to increase access to care and services for CentraCare Health Systems in St. Cloud, Minn., according to a press release.
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The external relations director of the Oregon Department of Administrative Services accidentally emailed the private vaccination statuses of about 40,000 state employees to different news outlets.
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Harris County, Texas, is turning to a managed private network to bring broadband connectivity to disadvantaged households. Officials hope the effort will increase access to distance learning.
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A new SMS chatbot launched by the Mayor's Office of Food Access aims to help connect residents to resources that can help combat food insecurity. The tool is part of Boston's larger food access agenda.
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Visitors from California, Hawaii, Louisiana and Virginia will now be able to show proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status through New York's Excelsior Pass. The pass will soon accept proof from Washington state as well.
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According to California health officials and advocates, disinformation surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines on social media and some news outlets is a major cause of vaccine hesitancy and fear.
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Various experts have suggested that states should spend opioid settlement dollars on data-focused technology. So far, states have been quiet on possible tech investments, citing other steps that must be taken first.
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Bandwidth, a popular voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) company based in Raleigh, N.C., has dealt with outages over the last few days due to a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack.
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As part of a $500,000 pilot program, Sacramento, Calif., will install 100 air quality monitors in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. Such areas tend to have worse air quality than their counterparts.
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Last spring, Arizona State University began offering a course that teaches students the essentials of coding so that they can develop mobile apps that direct low-income and homeless populations to support services.
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Naperville, Ill., rolled out a text-to-911 option this week. Officials advise citizens to only use the service if a phone call can't be made. No pictures or videos can be delivered with the service at this time.
